Government Of Spain News

Spanish offshore engineering firm Saitec Offshore Technologies and renewables giant RWE on Wednesday marked the completion and the launching operation of their DemoSATH floating wind unit. SATH Technology is based on a concrete platform concept with a plug-and-play Single Point Mooring, the same technology used for FPSOs.The DemoSATH project uses a 2MW turbine in a full-scale prototype that will be deployed offshore Bilbao and will be the first floating turbine connected to the Spanish grid."The project moves forward at a fast pace for its installation later this summer.

A Joint Working Group (JWG) of three UN agencies – the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) - met in Torremolinos, Spain, to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing (23-25 October).IUU fishing refers to fishing which is carried out without proper authorization. This can undermine national, regional and global efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks and result in poor safety and working conditions for fishers. Tackling the issue requires collaboration by all stakeholders.The group recommended the three organizations promote…

Women play a significant role in the fishing supply chain, processing, smoking, and ensuring fish reaches markets and tables. Yet their contribution is often overlooked, says International Maritime Organization (IMO).“Women play key roles in fisheries around the world. To ignore those roles is to see only half the picture,” said IMO’s Juvenal Shiundu, during a side event on Women in Fisheries at the Torremolinos Ministerial Conference on safety of fishing vessels in Torremolinos, Spain (21-23 October).“Available data does not capture the multidimensional nature of the work undertaken by women in fisheries and few policies are developed with women in mind,” Shiundu said.

The Cook Islands and Sao Tome and Principe have become the latest States to become Party to the Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety.These small nations deposited their instruments of accession during the Torremolinos Ministerial Conference on Fishing Vessel Safety and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing (21-23 October).At the same time, they joined 44 other countries (46 in total) signing the Torremolinos Declaration, a non-legally binding political instrument.By signing the Declaration, the 46 States publicly indicate their determination to ensure the Cape Town Agreement reaches entry into force criteria by the tenth anniversary of its adoption (11 October 2022).

A Spanish charity rescue boat sought safe port on Friday after Italy rejected its request to disembark 124 people saved from two migrant rafts in the Mediterranean, the organisation said.Non-governmental organisation (NGO) rescue boats have largely disappeared from the Mediterranean over the last year as governments have tightened controls. Charity ships that have rescued migrants have faced lengthy standoffs in their attempt to disembark those onboard.Barcelona-based NGO Open Arms rescued 55 people from a sinking raft on Thursday, among them two babies, and a further 69 people from another boat during Thursday night, the organisation said on Twitter.Two heavily pregnant women were among those rescued from the second raft…

A Spanish charity rescue boat sought safe port on Friday after Italy rejected its request to disembark 124 people saved from two migrant rafts in the Mediterranean, the organisation said.Non-governmental organisation (NGO) rescue boats have largely disappeared from the Mediterranean over the last year as governments have tightened controls. Charity ships that have rescued migrants have faced lengthy standoffs in their attempt to disembark those onboard.Barcelona-based NGO Open Arms rescued 55 people from a sinking raft on Thursday, among them two babies, and a further 69 people from another boat during Thursday night, the organisation said on Twitter.Two heavily pregnant women were among those rescued from the second raft…

National workshop discussed China's potential ratification and implementation of fisheries-related conventions, including IMO's 2012 Cape Town Agreement (CTA), aimed at improving safety standards on fishing vessels, and the 1995 Standards on Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F).Fisheries-related conventions are key tools used by flag, coastal and port States to effectively monitor and control fishing vessels and minimize the risk of illegal…

Fisheries-related conventions are key tools used by flag, coastal and port States to effectively monitor and control fishing vessels and minimise the risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, by enhancing transparency, traceability and governance.This was the focus of a national workshop in Shanghai, China (29-30 July),  organized by the Shanghai Ocean University and the Bureau of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, with input from International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), The Pew Charitable Trusts and the IMO Number Scheme manager (IHS Markit).Participants discussed China's potential ratification and implementation of fisheries-related conventions…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working on best practices to prevent and reduce abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear."Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear can continue to capture and kill marine animals and may cause navigational hazards – as well as contributing to the global marine litter problem," the UN body pointed out.IMO is working closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on reducing marine plastic litter from fishing vessels, including fishing gear, as part of the IMO Action Plan on the Reduction of Marine Plastic Litter. This collaboration includes IMO participation at a series of regional FAO-led workshops on best practices to prevent and reduce abandoned…

Whether driven by treasure hunting or environmental protection, the days of forgotten wrecks, even at great depths, is past. It seems like every month we see reports of long-lost maritime wrecks being discovered on the ocean bottom and treasures being salvaged from great depths. We also hear regularly of oil being recovered from sunken wrecks. There is now no practical limit to the ability to recover objects from the sea floor, regardless of depth, currents, weather, or other obstacles. The only existing obstacle seems to be financing - and costs are decreasing regularly.

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTT) launched of a new technology initiative to enhance the efficiency of its patented PowerBuoy wave energy systems under its existing “WavePort” project. OPT will be working with a consortium of European companies and institutions to advance the energy conversion system of the PowerBuoy device through the development of a new wave prediction model. The new system will assess the characteristics of each incoming wave before it reaches the PowerBuoy wave power station, thereby providing more time for the electronic tuning capability to react. It is expected that this will significantly boost the power output of the PowerBuoy and reduce cost per MW hour of energy produced.

At its annual Spring Conference yesterday, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) announced the selection of Panama President Martin Torrijos as the association’s “Port Person of the Year” for his leadership in promoting maritime commerce. Specifically, President Torrijos is being honored for his efforts to spearhead the US$5.5 billion project to expand the 92-year-old Panama Canal, and to promote continued development of Panama’s seaports. “The Panama Canal expansion will have a profound effect on United States, Canadian, South American and Caribbean maritime businesses and will help facilitate the movement of the dramatic increases in global trade expected in the coming years,” said AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle.

NAVCOM Defense Electronics, Inc., El Monte, Calif., is being awarded an $11.4m firm-fixed-price contract for URN-25 tactical air navigation systems and on-board and shore-based spares. The system includes transponder, control indicator, antenna group and on-board and shore-based spares. Four systems will be procured in the base award. Work will be performed in El Monte, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract supports the Government of Spain under the Foreign Military Sales program. The contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-06-C-4004).

ABS has reacted with outrage to the Spanish Government’s announced intention to seek withdrawal of its recognition as an approved classification society by the European Commission. “This appears to be another tactical ploy to divert attention from Spain’s own negligence in the manner in which it handled the Prestige incident,” said ABS spokesperson and Vice President, Stewart Wade. According to ABS there is absolutely no factual basis for the Spanish petition under the relevant European Council Directive. The Directive clearly specifies the terms for both recognition and the withdrawal of such recognition by the EC. It explicitly states…

The U.S. Customs Service issued a Press Release

ABS has instituted legal action against the Government of Spain seeking recovery for any claims made against the classification society for damages arising from the Prestige casualty. The ABS action is an aggressive response to the suit filed against the not-for-profit classification society by the Government of Spain seeking more than $700 million in damages for the pollution caused by the sinking of the tanker. In a concurrent action, ABS has responded to the suit filed against it in Texas by the regional Basque government, and other local administrations, by denying the charges and alleging that the Basque Government lacked the authority to file the action and their claims have been subsumed by the national government’s action.